Dirt spreader for ditching machines



June 24, 1.930. G. RSCHECKLER V DIRT SPREADER FOR DITGHINGllA^.(}lIIN!3S Filed March 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmN il! i.......lll mN $1 .ad si INVENTOR CFLScheclcLer BY Q Q .Q`f" y ATTORNEYJune 24, 1930. G. F. scHEcKLER 1,767,017

DIRT SPREADER Fon DITCHING MACHINES Filed March 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet2 I 6.17.' Scheckler BY I s s A-rronNuY Patented June p 24, 1930 GonpoNF. scHEcILEn, oFsTocxToN, CALIFORNIA DIM* SPREADER For. DI'ICIIING`MACHINES i .Applicationy :tiled March 19,1929. Serial No. 348,217.

l This inventionV relatesto ditching maj chines, and especially tomachines of ythat Vcharacter used to ,cut irrigation ditches `orlaterals across cultivated land; r4and par-l 5 Vticularly relates to themeans for disposing of the dirt lexcavatedfrom the ditch. As suchmachines are at present constructed the dirtas excavated by the diggingVmechanism is conveyed laterally and deposited inthe shapeof one-or morewindrows which of course are parallel to the ditch and are formed as themachine advances. `Since V ysuch dirt is in the way of subsequentcultivating and other operations it is customary and necessary toVemploy a leveling device of some character to go overthe groundsubsequent to the ditching operations and level down these windrows.This additional operation of course adds appreciably to the total costof preparing the ground.

The principal object of my invention thereforefis to avoid the need ofthis extra operation by providing an attachment or a ditching machine ofsuch a nature as to catch the dirt beforethe same is dischargedronto theground by the conveyor and to cause such dirt to be spread over theground in the vicinity of the ditch but clear of the same in the form ofa thin evenly distributed layer,` so that nok further working of thedirt is necessary after the ditching machine has.

functioned and passed by. Y

A furtherobject of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly eifective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects 'I accomplish by means of such structure andrelativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of 40 thefollowing specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters ofl referenceindicate correspondingparts in the several views:V

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation of a ditchingv machine ofstandard or conventional form showing myV dir-t spreading de. viceattached thereto. Y

Fig. 2 is an end view of a ditching machine aconveyor, showing themounting of the dirt spreading device in connection therewith.

*Y Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the conveyor showing theposition fof the spreader `relative thereto. Y

Referring now more, particularly to theVV characters ofreference on thedrawingsfthe `di-tch Vdigging machine may. be.. of any conventionalstandard, desigmand includes a main horizontal frame structure lsupported by wheels 2 and carrying'the power plant" (not shown) which asusual drives theditching apparatus and advances the machine as a whole.The diggingv apparatus consists essentially of an auxiliary" frame 3pivotally mountedon and depending rearwardly from the `framelffor-vertical adjustment and" carrying spaced sprocket .wheels overwhichV the endless digging chain 5 passes.. .This chain has outwardlyprojecting transverse diggi'ng -plates 6- at intervalsvto engage thedirt and form the.v ditch YD when Vthe aux-'70l iliary frame is loweredto its operating position. The shaft., `7 of the upper sprocket wheel isdriven in a-l direction such'that the lower run of thechain will travelupwardlybyfsuitablecmeans such las a `chain drive 8 75 operated froma'shaft 9 extending forwardly to and driven by the power plant. Y -Thedirt asexcavated 'from `the ditchvbyvr the digger chain is conveyed intoa chutelO from which itis delivered into la transversely extendingtrough 1l supported by transverse beams v12 connected to the frame l.The trough preferably*` extends* equal distances `on both sides of themachine and is openon; bothends, and contains an auger conveyor 13 orthelike arrangedto conveyv the dirt as delivered thereto from the chute10 to the outer endsof said trough. This conveyor is driven from theshaft? by a chain. drive 14 or the likebetween said shaft and the outervend of the conveyor shaftrl.V The structure lthus far described` isstandard in one form or another and of itself forms no part of my"invention, which willnow*be particularly described. s

Positioned under each end of the trough isl a horizontalfdis'c 15, theaxis of which is disposed a sho'rtj distance rearwardly ofthelongitudinal center line of the conveyor and outwardly of the adjacentopen end of the 100 trough, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This disc is ofa size sufficient to catch all dirt as discharged from the trough by theoperation of the conveyor. The axial shaft 16 of this disc projectsupwardly therefrom to a point above the top of the trough and is thereconnected by a housed-in bevel drive 17 to the transverse driven `shaft18 Vwhich is operatively connected with the main drive shaft 9 in anysuitable manner.

e The type of drive connection between the shafts 16 and 18 allows theformer to be swung fore and aft of themachine about said Y shaft 1S asan axis, so that the angle of setting of the disc relative to a.horizontalplane may be altered as may be desired, as indicated in dottedlines, in Fig. 2.

This is a beneficial though not an absolutely necessary feature, and byreason of the same the height to'which the dirt will be thrown with therotation of the disc, and consequently its range ofspread relative tothe machine, may be controlled within certain limits, as will beevident. To hold the disc shaft set any desired position, the housing 16of the shaft 16 has a stud 19 projecting transversely therefrom, whichstud projects through a slot 20 disposed arcuate with` the shaft 18,.`This slot' is'formed in a plate 21 which extends between and is fixedonthe under sides of thevbeam 12; and the housing 16a is clamped againstsaid plate by a nut 22 on the stud on the side `of the plate oppositethe housing. Y

I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.` In a ditching'machine having excavating `means, and conveying meanscooperating therewith to convey the dirt as excavated awayL from theexcavation; said conveyor being arranged to discharge the dirt from itsouter end, a rotary disc mounted on a substantially vertical axis underthe discharge end of the conveyor in a position to receive the dirt asdischarged fromthe conveyor, dirt engaging elements projecting upwardlyfrom the kdisc, and'means supporting the disc in a manner to enable theangle of the same relative to a horizontal plane to be altered at will.

2. In aditching machine having excavatingmeans, and conveying meanscooperating.

therewith to convey the dirt as excavated away from the excavation andextending transversely of the line of excavation, said conveyor beingarranged to discharge at its outer end, a vertical shaft positionedrearwardly ofthe longitudinal center line of the conveyor and outwardlyof the outer end of the conveyor, a, disc on the shaft under theconveyor to catch the dirt discharged therefrom, radial dirt engagingvanes projecting upwardly from the disc, and means for ro'- tating theshaft ina direction to cause the outer side of the disc to rotate to therear.

I n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' GORDON F. SCHECKLER.

The upper surface of the disc is provided with a plurality ofsubstantially radial vanes 23; the disc being connected in drivingrelation with the power plantso as to rotate at considerable speed andin a direction such that its outer side will turn rearwardly. It willtherefore be seen that the dirt deposited on the disc from the conveyoris caught by the vanes and thrown outwardly and horizontally over theadjacent dirt in the form of an evenly distributed and thin layer.

Due to the direction vof rotation and the axial positioning of thediscrearwardly of the center line of the conveyor, the dirt is all caught bythe forward portion of the disc` and ythrown outwardly from thevconveyor, 'thus preventing any dirt from being thrown underthe machineand into the ditch where it is ofl course not wanted.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that haveproduced such a device. as Substantially fulllsth@ Objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

`While th's specification sets forth in detail kthe present andpreferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviationsfrom such detail may be resorted to as dov not form a cLepartu-refrornthe spirit of the invention, as defined by the, appended: claims.

Having, thus described myinventon what

